The invention relates to linear retainers, and more particularly, to a waste receptacle liner retainer apparatus for retaining the mouth of a flexible liner bag open and in position for receiving objects in the liner bag. The invention also encompasses methods for retaining a liner bag in position for receiving objects.
Waste or trash receptacles are commonly lined with a suitable disposable liner bag. The liner bags include a mouth or opening and are adapted to be received in the trash receptacle with the liner bag mouth generally aligning with the opening of the trash receptacle. The liner bag mouths were heretofore commonly retained in the open position by being stretched or folded over the trash receptacle opening.
There were a number of problems associated with retaining a liner bag in position for receiving trash by stretching or folding the liner mouth portion over a trash receptacle opening. First, the liner bag material was weakened by such stretching and the weakened material was susceptible to breakage or tearing when the liner was being removed from the receptacle. Also, since the retention of the liner depended upon a tight fit between the liner bag and the trash receptacle opening, the liner bag had to be carefully sized for the receptacle in which it was used. If the liner bag mouth portion was too big for the trash receptacle opening, the mouth portion material had to be tied in a knot to take up the extra material to help secure the mouth portion in the open position aligned with the trash receptacle opening. Even if the fit between the mouth portion and the trash receptacle opening was fairly good, the liner mouth portion could easily slip back over the trash receptacle opening and collapse into the receptacle, preventing further trash from being deposited into the liner bag. Furthermore, whether the mouth portion material was stretched, folded, or tied over the trash receptacle opening, the liner material was exposed to view around the trash receptacle opening, adversely affecting the receptacle's overall appearance.
Another problem associated with folding or stretching the liner mouth portion over the trash receptacle opening arose where the receptacle included a lid and lid raising mechanism or a locking mechanism for locking the lid in a closed position. The liner material extending over the trash receptacle opening tended to interfere with the operation of these types of lids and lid raising or locking mechanisms, particularly by getting caught in and jamming the mechanism. In order to prevent any such interference, the liner bag mouth portion had to be pulled into the receptacle adjacent the particular mechanism. However, this releasing of the liner bag mouth portion at points along the perimeter of the trash receptacle opening allowed the remainder of the mouth portion to collapse into the receptacle preventing further trash from being deposited.